Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

Title/Author: Cactus Hotel by Brenda Z. Guiberson

Suggested Time to Spend: 5 Days (Recommendation: One day of questions may need to be split into two sessions per
day, at least 20 minutes per day)

Common Core grade-level ELA/Literacy Standards: RI.K.1; RI.K.2; RI.K.3, RI.K.4, RI.K.7, RI.K.8;
RI.K.10; W.K.2; W.K.8; SL.K.1, SL.K.2; L.K.1, L.K.2, L.K.4
Next Generation Science Standards: K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3.1
K-ESS2-2: Students construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals can change the environment to meet
their needs
K-ESS3.1: Students use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals and the places they
live.

Lesson Objective:
Students will listen to a literary non-fiction read aloud and use literacy skills (reading, writing, discussion and listening) to understand
the central message of the book.

Teacher Instructions
Before the Lesson
1. Read the Big Ideas and Key Understandings and the Synopsis below. Please do not read this to the students. This is a
description to help you prepare to teach the book and be clear about what you want your children to take away from the work.
Big Ideas/Key Understandings/Focusing Question

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 Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

The interdependence of living and non-living things.

How do living and non-living things depend upon one another? 
  Synopsis
Text and illustrations tell the story of the life cycle of the saguaro cactus focusing on how plants and animals depend on each
other in a desert habitat. From the cactus seed carried on the whisker of a packrat and deposited under a Palo Verde tree, to
the ultimate use of the dried cactus remains by millipedes and lizards, the text and illustrations chronicle more than a century
in the life of a saguaro cactus and show how water and shelter are necessary to the survival of living things in a desert
habitat.
2. Go to the last page of the lesson and review “What Makes This Read-Aloud Complex.” This was created for you as part of the
lesson and will give you guidance about what the lesson writers saw as the sources of complexity or key access points for this
book. You will of course evaluate text complexity with your own students in mind, and make adjustments to the lesson pacing
and even the suggested activities and questions.
3. Read the entire book, adding your own insights to the understandings identified. Also note the stopping points for the text-
inspired questions and activities. Hint: you may want to copy the questions vocabulary words and activities over onto sticky notes
so they can be stuck to the right pages for each day’s questions and vocabulary work.

Note to teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs): Read Aloud Project Lessons are designed for children who cannot read yet for
themselves. They are highly interactive and have many scaffolds built into the brief daily lessons to support reading comprehension.
Because of this, they are filled with scaffolds that are appropriate for English Language Learners who, by definition, are developing
language and learning to read (English). This read aloud text includes complex features which offer many opportunities for learning,
but at the same time includes supports and structures to make the text accessible to even the youngest students.

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 Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

This lesson includes features that align to best practices for supporting English Language Learners. Some of the supports you may see
built into this, and /or other Read Aloud Project lessons, assist non-native speakers in the following ways:

 These lessons include embedded vocabulary scaffolds that help students acquire new vocabulary in the context of reading.
They feature multi-modal ways of learning new words, including prompts for where to use visual representations, the
inclusion of student-friendly definitions, built-in opportunities to use newly acquired vocabulary through discussion or
activities, and featured academic vocabulary for deeper study.
 These lessons also include embedded scaffolds to help students make meaning of the text itself. It calls out opportunities for
paired or small group discussion, includes recommendations for ways in which visuals, videos, and/or graphic organizers
could aid in understanding, provides a mix of questions (both factual and inferential) to guide students gradually toward
deeper understanding, and offers recommendations for supplementary texts to build background knowledge supporting the
content in the anchor text.
 These lessons feature embedded supports to aid students in developing their overall language and communication skills by
featuring scaffolds such as sentence frames for discussion and written work (more guidance available here) as well as writing
opportunities (and the inclusion of graphic organizers to scaffold the writing process). These supports help students develop
and use newly acquired vocabulary and text-based content knowledge.

The Lesson – Questions, Activities, and Tasks

Questions/Activities/Vocabulary/Tasks Expected Outcome or Response (for each)

FIRST READING:
Read aloud the entire book with minimal interruptions. Spend
some time on the title asking students for the definition of
“hotel.” Stop to provide other word meanings or clarify only
when you know the majority of your students will be confused.
The goal here is for students to enjoy the book, both writing
and pictures, and to experience it fluently as a whole. This will
give them some context and sense of completion before they
dive into examining the parts of the book more carefully.

***You will need to number the pages starting with 1 on the

title page opposite the copyright information. Story text begins
on page 3.
Note: You may want to make sure students understand basic

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 Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

needs of plants and animals before continuing.

SECOND READING:
p.3
Orient students to p. 2 illustration that shows multiple saguaro Showing the saguaro forest is used as a preview to what will
cacti. Explain what a saguaro cactus is. happen to the seed.

Where did the fruit come from? How do you know? The fruit come from the cactus. The illustration helps the
reader to know where the fruit came from.

Are there just a few or are there a lot of seeds? (If possible, The fruit has many seeds – (2,000).
have 2,000 of a small object available for them to look at.)

What is the purpose of a fruit’s seed? The seeds are there so the plant can reproduce more plants.

Ask students to pay special attention as you read the next few
pages to what happens to the seeds.

_______________________________________________ ____________________________________________

Reread p.4 He eats the juicy fruit. The rat needs the food. The tree needs
What's the relationship between the pack rat and the cactus?  the seeds to be transported and dropped somewhere.
Prompting questions: How did the cactus help the pack rat?
Skitter means to move quickly without a lot of sound. Usually,
p. 4 Explain skitters – Use hand motions or dramatic play to smaller animals can skitter. A mouse can skitter, an elephant
demonstrate quick light movement. What other animals would cannot.
skitter? Would a mouse skitter? Would an elephant skitter? Etc.

Point out the paloverde tree.

p. 4 How does the seed get under the paloverde tree? The seed clings to the pack rat's whisker then falls off
____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
Reread p. 5

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 Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

p. 5 Why does the author tell us that the house finch and the
ground squirrel didn't see the seed? It allows the seed to stay under the tree.

___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
Reread p. 6&7
What causes the cactus to sprout from the ground? The seed was protected by the paloverde tree and watered by
the rain.

____________________________________________________
Reread p. 8
When the author says, "The paloverde protects it from the hot
summer sun and cold winter nights." What is “it?” And how
does it protect it from the summer sun and cold winter nights?
____________________________________________________
“It” is the seedling, the small cactus. In the summer it provides
shade; in the winter it protects the small cactus from frost.

Reread p. 9
What depends on the rain? “The cactus pulls in water with its long roots, the pack rat stops
to drink” The rat drinks the rain water.
p. 9 In the story the packrat scurries off, which means to hurry
off with short quick steps. Consider having students act out.
___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________
Reread p. 10
How does the jackrabbit depends on the cactus? The cactus looks thin and uses up the water it has stored. The
paloverde loses its leaves.

The jackrabbit stays cool and gnaws on the green pulp

p. 10
Why does the rabbit run into the hole? He sees a coyote.
(Later we will discuss the significance of the jackrabbit, the hole
and the coyote)

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 Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________
Reread p. 12&13
On page 13 the author says, “They beckon like a welcoming They are the flowers
signal across the desert.” What are “they?”

p. 13 What does beckon mean? To summon or signal with a wave or nod. Consider acting out
what beckoning looks like

p. 13 What is important about the flowers? The flowers provide food/nectar for birds, bees, and bats

Reread p. 14
What does it mean when the author says the fruit is "ripe and The flowers turn into the fruit and ripen so they can be eaten.
ready"?

____________________________________________________ _________________________________________________
Reread p. 15
What is a hotel? A place with many rooms for people to sleep in.

Reread p. 16 - 21
p. 16
How does the woodpecker make his space in the cactus? He taps using his beak. He bores. He digs.

What tool does the woodpecker use? Why do you think the The woodpecker uses his bill as a tool. He wants the reader to
author uses this word? Why doesn’t he call it a beak? know that the woodpecker uses his bill for different purposes
like humans use tools.

______________________________________________ _____________________________________________

p. 17

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 Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel
How do the woodpecker and the cactus depend on each other?
Vocabulary note: you may need to discuss insulated and
disease.
Use context clues on p. 17 to help define weatherproof
 ___________________________________________________
p. 18
How does the cactus provide shelter?
____________________________________________________
p. 21
Why are the holes important? Why are they different sizes?  The hole provides shelter and protection from the coyote and
Go back to p. 10 &11 Why does the jackrabbit disappear into
the hole? Now that you see why the holes in the cactus are
important, determine why the rabbit’s hole is important.
Reread p. 21 -27
Ask students why is the cactus like a hotel? Remind students of
the definition they gave on day 1 when talking about the title.
_________________________________________________
p. 23
What happens every spring?
Recommended for Grade K
The cactus keeps the woodpecker’s nest shady on hot days and
warm on frosty nights. The woodpecker eats insects that may
bring disease to the cactus
________________________________________________________
New hole for the woodpecker, a nest on an arm, an old hole for
an elf owl. The birds feel safe living high up.
The holes provide shelter for many different desert animals.
___________________________________________________
other predators.
Everybody lives there. When one animal moves out another
moves in.
You might explain similes and have students practice using
similes. For example: Everyone be as quiet as……
Let’s walk as slow as a ______.”
___________________________________________________
Animals come out for a specials treat: the nectar and the juicy
red fruit.
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 Washoe County School District
___________________________________________________
p.24
How old is the cactus? What happens to the cactus? Why?
___________________________________________________
p. 26
Who moves in to the toppled hotel?
__________________________________________________
p. 27
In what ways do these creatures still depend on the cactus
even though it no longer stands?
__________________________________________________
Reread 22-27 Pay attention to the illustrations to answer this
question:
How has the cactus hotel changed? Why?
Reread p. 28
(Read the first sentence again) Why does the author use the
word cacti instead of cactus? (use illustration)
___________________________________________________
THIRD READ – The purpose of this read is to have students look
for evidence that there is an interdependence of living and non-
living things. This will give them the content knowledge
/evidence they need to do the culminating writing task.
Begin by defining Interdependence and give examples.
Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K
__________________________________________________
200 years old. It crashes to the ground. It is dead so the wind
blows it down.
__________________________________________________
A millipede, a scorpion, and many ants and termites
__________________________________________________
Collard lizard finds food, ground snake finds shade
__________________________________________________
Many arms grow to make more room. It falls and crumbles. It is
old. It dries out.
Draw out from the students that even though the cactus is no
longer a living thing, it is still very useful to the animals and
insects. This would lead them up to give it as an example of
interdependence during read three and is the only example of
how living things can be dependent on non-living things.
There are many cactus plants. More than one cactus are cacti.
________________________________________________
Interdependence is a big word that means two things need
each other to survive. . For example: 1. All living things are
dependent upon water. They need this non-living thing to live.
We cannot live without water.
2. Flowers need bees to pollinate.
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 Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

Tell students that you will read the book one more time, but Example of interdependence chart:
this time they will become detectives looking for evidence that
living and nonliving things are interdependent. We are going to Picture Detail Elaboration
“chunk” the text. That means stopping after each page or two {SAMPLE} The seed depends Without the
to look for evidence. When you stop after each page, record p.7 (Put picture on on the paloverde protection from
student answers by putting a copy of the picture of that page chart – Copy the tree. the tree, the seed
on a chart paper and circling where the interdependent pictures from the would not have
relationship is. In the first column put a copy of the page that book. You may sprouted.
shows the interdependent relationship and circle the need to reduce
interdependent relationship. This chart will help students when them a little)
writing.
Review this chart often before asking student to do the final
day writing activity. This assures that all students will have a
deep understanding of the interdependent relationships.

FINAL DAY WITH THE BOOK - Culminating Writing Task

 Review the chart with all the interdependent relationships listed in pictures. Tell students that today they will draw and write
about how the desert plants and animals in this book depend on each (have them write as many as they can). Tell students
they will be sharing their work with the class.
 Students will refer to class chart – See Note to Teacher

Vocabulary
These words merit less time and attention These words merit more time and attention

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 Washoe County School District
(They are concrete and easy to explain, or describe events/
processes/ideas/concepts/experiences that are familiar to your students.)
Page 3 – saguaro cactus – a tall horizontally branched cactus
Page 4 – paloverde tree – a spiny desert shrub
Page 10 - gnaws – to bit or chew on
Page 13 – nectar – the juice of a fruit or flower
Page 14 – Gila woodpecker – a type of woodpecker found in the
southwestern U.S. and Mexico
Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K
(They are abstract, have multiple meanings, and/or are a part
of a large family of words with related meanings. These words are likely
to describe events, ideas, processes or experiences that most of your
student will be unfamiliar with)
Page 4 – skitters – to glide or skip lightly or quickly
Page 6 - sprouts – to begin to grow
Page 9 - scurries – to go or move quickly
Page 13 – beckon – to summon or signal with a wave or nod
Page 16 – bores – to make or form (a hole) by hollowing out
Page 17 – insulated – to keep from losing heat
Page 24 – crumble – to break into small pieces
Page 26 – toppled – to tumble down
Page 27 – huddles – to crouch or curl up
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Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

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 Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

Extension learning activities for this book and other useful resources
 Math for Integrated Unit
-draw a cactus
-add arms
-look closely at the numbers in the book
-how tall? draw another object next to it for scale
p. 8 Cactus is 10 yrs = 4 inches
p. 10 Cactus is 25 yrs = 2 feet
p. 12 Cactus is 50 yrs = 10 feet
p. 18 Cactus is 60 yrs = 18 feet
p. 20 Cactus is 150 yrs = 50 feet
How much does the cactus weigh at age 150 (8 tons – as much as 5 automobiles)
-how much do you weigh?
-trip to parking lot to see how many cars = the weight of the cactus

 In order to reinforce the knowledge and vocabulary that students have learned about the desert habitat, support students by
watching an informative video about desert. Note: This is particularly supportive of English Language Learners. Here is an
example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaZKEc59g1w

Note to Teacher
 To lead up to the Culminating Writing Activity, have students write/draw in reading response journal each day. Or add to class
chart using the format below if students need a structure. If this is not the beginning of the year, students may write
independent sentences.

_________ depends on ________ for __________ Ex. Packrat depends on cactus for food

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 Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

Depending on level of support needed or time of year this book is used amount of scaffolding and/or independence of students is
left up to the teacher. Note: This is particularly supportive of English Language Learners.

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 Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

What Makes This Read-Aloud Complex?

1. Quantitative Measure
Go to http://www.lexile.com/ and enter the title of your read-aloud in the Quick Book Search in the
upper right of home page. Most texts will have a Lexile measure in this database.

Most of the texts that we read aloud in K-2 should

be in the 2-3 or 4-5 band, more complex than the
700 students can read themselves.
2-3 band 420-820L
4-5 band 740-1010L

2. Qualitative Features
Consider the four dimensions of text complexity below. For each dimension *, note specific examples
from the text that make it more or less complex.

Interdependence – living/non-living things within an Varied sentence length and structures

ecosystem All page p. 17 - progression of sentence complexity from simple,
to compound, then complex. Ex: “The woodpecker gets a
weatherproof nest that is shady on hot days and warm and
Also: Change over time, Impact
insulated on frosty nights. And the cactus gets something in
return: the woodpecker likes to eat the insects that can bring
disease to the cactus.”

Meaning/Purpose Structure
Verbs are active Language Knowledge Demands
Metaphor – Title “Cactus Hotel” Some students may need background knowledge on what
p. 13 “…beckon like a welcoming signal” (simile) living and non-living things are and plants and animals’
Domain specific language: saguaro, paloverde, Gila basic needs.
woodpecker, Students may also need to understand a desert.

*For more information on the qualitative dimensions of text complexity, visit

http://www.achievethecore.org/content/upload/Companion_to_Qualitative_Scale_Features_Explained.pdf

3. Reader and Task Considerations

What will challenge my students most in this text? What supports can I provide?
An understanding of basic needs of living things is essential for comprehension.
Questions to clarify how illustrations and text connect.
Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary – picture supports
Varied sentence structures

How will this text help my students build knowledge about the world?

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 Washoe County School District Cactus Hotel Recommended for Grade K

The interdisciplinary concept of interdependence can branch to science, social studies-civics,

community, economics, etc.

4. Grade level
What grade does this book best belong in? Kindergarten

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